In January, bassist Marko Hietala surprised everyone by announcing his departure from Nightwish . In a vague statement, the musician mentioned that he suffers from chronic depression and had been having "dark thoughts" for some time, which led him to decide to step away from public life.
Nightwish is now preparing for the virtual event An Evening With Nightwish In A Virtual World , which will take place on May 28th and 29th ( tickets can be purchased here ). In an interview with Metal Hammer , founder Tuomas Holopainen commented that it will be "very strange" not to have Hietala at the event after his 20 years with the band, and that he even considered ending Nightwish after the bassist announced his departure.
“I was devastated for a few days. I was almost certain it would be the end of the band,” Tuomas recounted. “I remember calling our guitarist and asking, ‘Should we call it quits?’ and he replied, ‘Yes, let’s do it. There’s no future.’ But after a few days passed, we had a small meeting with the band and our team, and I realized that the music is still there and that’s the essential part of everything.”
The identity of Nightwish's new bassist will be revealed shortly before the virtual event An Evening With Nightwish , on May 28th.
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